An African American teenager who was shot and killed in Florida by a neighbourhood watch member by the name of George Zimmerman. Martin, who was unarmed, was walking to his father's fiancé's home from a convenience store in Sanford, Florida February 26, 2012. He had been staying in Sanford at the time because he was on suspension from Krop High School in Miami after school officials found him with empty marijuana baggy.

Zimmerman followed Martin after calling the Sanford Police Department, saying Martin looked suspicious because he was wearing a hoodie. The operator asked if he was following Martin and Zimmerman said yes. The operator then said that he didn't need to do that. Shortly after, a fight broke out, resulting in a single bullet in Martin's chest.

Zimmerman, a man of mixed ethnicity of white American and Latino, was not arrested or charged by police on the ground that he acted in self defense.

The circumstances around Martin's death received national and international attention, particularly regarding Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law and allegations of racial motivations and police misconduct, triggering multiple investigations and public demands for Zimmerman's arrest.